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After a second incident in which a Madison Cowthorn (RN.C.) representative violated rules banning passengers from carrying firearms at airport security checkpoints, Democrat leaders in congressional panels monitoring the Transportation Security Administration , are looking for answers about the agency’s work with similar incidents and insist on tougher penalties for repeat offenders.
Madison Coutorne’s spokesman was quoted as having a loaded pistol in a bag at the airport checkpoint
Representative Benny G. Thompson (D-Miss.), Chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, and Republican Bonnie Watson Coleman (DN.J.), chairman of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Transport and Maritime Security, wrote in a letter Thursday to the administrator of TSA David P. Pekoske that they are concerned about the growing number of firearms that TSA officers are discovering.
They said Tuesday’s incident involving Cawthorn – the second time the lawmaker was quoted – should make the agency “act decisively to ensure that repeat offenders … face full enforcement action.” of the TSA “.
Cawthorn was stopped as he passed security at Charlotte Douglas International Airport after a TSA officer spotted a gun in the MP’s hand luggage bag. He was quoted as possessing a dangerous weapon on a city property and was later released, according to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department. His gun was confiscated according to standard procedures, officials said.
A police report said officers found a Staccato C2, a firearms store and 9mm cartridges. The gun was loaded, according to two people familiar with the incident, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak in the record. This was the second time that the MP violated the rules prohibiting the travel of firearms in hand luggage, the first happening in February 2021.
In a letter Thursday, Thompson and Watson Coleman noted that nearly 6,000 firearms were found at airport checkpoints last year, the most in TSA history. Of these, 86 percent of the weapons are loaded. In February, the committee held a hearing on the issue, while Congress has legislation aimed at reducing the number of incidents.
Bipartisan support for hearings and legislation shows that members of Congress on both sides of the aisle agree that those who break the law and endanger the safety of other passengers – and especially repeat offenders such as the Republic of Cauthorn – should be detained for account “, the deputies write.
They also asked Pekoske for more details on the agency’s efforts to reduce the number of firearms carried at airports. The letter also sought information about TSA’s work with the previous incident involving Cawthorn.
Cawthorn’s office did not respond to requests for comment on the latest incident. He posted a message on Instagram on Thursday after passing through a TSA checkpoint at Reagan National Airport outside of Washington.
“I just went through the TSA. No big alarms, nothing bad happened. So to all the law enforcement agencies, especially to you guys in Charlotte, I love you all. I appreciate you guys. You all protect us. Seriously, thanks. Fly safely, make sure you don’t have a gun in your bag. “
TSA rules prohibit passengers from carrying firearms unless they are secured in a hard and locked case and placed in checked baggage. Passengers must also inform the airline that they are traveling with a firearm.
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